edfitzvb

So, what kind of setup??????? Line type and strength? Can't be a BR post without getting to those questions sooner or later

I like beetle spins. I also like rooster tails and Mepps. Those three baits will catch a lot of fish.... But then, so will jigs and rapalas. I tend to throw beetle spins more in current

I live in Virginia Beach. I wish I fished a lot more in Suffolk, but life gets in the way. I have fished mostly Lake Prince and occasionally Western Branch. I plan to try the Lone Star Lakes soon as I hear good things about them. Always ready to hear what works for others, as my success has been limited lately.

Well, now you know.... There ARE pike in the river

Floating Rapalas are still a go-to bait for me when the fishing is tough. Pull out a spinning setup with a silver and black F-11 and twitch until a bass picks on it. But I quickly moved into multi-drawer tackle boxes back then. Had a Plano 7 drawer hip roof tackle box that I spent all my money filling to overflowing.

Remember when..... $5.00 was a LOT to spend on a lure...... Shakespeare 2052 and 2062 spinning reels were advertised in every Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazine.... A Mepps spinner and Rapala were enough to catch anything that swims.... "Bass boats" were aluminum with a deep hull and had bench seats with aluminum tops..... A twelve inch fish (minimum "keeper" size where I grew up was a celebrated accomplishment for a young boy

I have both. The vast majority are full grips but a split grip is not a deal breaker for me.

For anyone else that has never lubed or cleaned a reel, this is pretty much standard. Activate the knob/lever/thingy and twist the side plate counter clockwise, at which point it can be lifted off.

Amen. Especially Lew's or Shimano. Both excellent companies with good products and excellent quality control

I will be attending my wife's family reunion this weekend in Blackstone, VA. My son wants to go up to Briery Creek on Sunday morning for a few hours of fishing. We plan to use a 14 foot jonboat with a trolling motor. I am sure it will be hot, but still... we will be fishing. I have heard of an area called the "pig pen" as being good for larger fish but don't know where it is. I would appreciate any advice as to hot lures or other areas, which boat launch to use and which way to start from there, etc., from anyone who knows the lake well. After all, when you only have 2-3 hours you want to maximize your chances for success. Thanks in advance. Feel free to PM if you don't feel like telling the whole world.

I have several bait casters which are arranged similarly and yet differently. I would have to see a picture of your reel to be able to possibly answer your question.

Buzzbaits, Jitterbugs, hollow body frogs. Jigs. Johnson's Silver Minnow with a trailer. All should be relatively weedless and have a history of catching fish.

I feel your pain.

That guy could go fishing with me any time he wants.

That's a new one on me, too.

I'll pass on the celebrity and take a top end Lew's baitcaster on a Loomis rod. YEARS of enjoyment....

Have to agree that I personally prefer medium action rods with crankbaits and jerkbaits. I also prefer mono because of the give, and with cranks and jerks the fish generally hook themselves, so a little give is not a problem.

If you only live one year and only go fishing five times, that would be five times that you would be thankful that you upgraded to the Citica. Spread the extra cost that way and it is a bargain

I will take your word for it...

Welcome. Keep working at it, your luck will change.

Here in Virginia the Crown Royal bags can be gotten for free. The state regulates the sale of alcohol, and most bars don't want the bags when they buy the Crown Royal. I just go in, ask for any extra bags, and they bring out 15-20 and say, "Take all you want." A lot better for my liver that way.

I was a professional musician for many years, traveling all over the United States in a modified tour bus with bunks, etc. We spent a lot of time on that bus going from job to job, and we talked a lot about many things, in my case often about fishing. I told the road manager that if I ever caught a DD bass I would release it and have a fiberglass mount made to commemorate the moment. He looked at me and said, "Just buy the mount. Who would know?" I said, "I would." After all, if I can't be honest with myself, how could I expect to be honest with anyone else?

Original Rapala floaters Mann's Jelly Worms to name two. Any of the early wooden lures from Heddon

After I check my E-mail, this one

I have had lines break when I should have re-tied. I lost my favorite buzzbait of all time that way. It sailed off into the trees and I had no chance of finding it. (It looked like a bat-type kite with the propeller behind the head, downward eyes, long hook that would take a large grub. If anybody has ever seen one and knows the maker, please PM) But never because I didn't cinch down a knot or cut the wrong line.